A new study out Tuesday shows that Uber rides have become the transport option of choice for lawmakers and their aides out on campaign business, with Uber cars now used more often than traditional taxis. That’s a welcome statistic for the company, which has been embraced by consumers as offering a game-changing way to get around town but has run into resistance from some local governments and taxi drivers, who say it unfairly skirts regulations. Read More »

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has asked the nation’s largest broadband provider to pledge not to enter into any agreements that would give some content providers quicker access to consumers on the Internet.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D, Vt.) wrote to Comcast Corp. Executive Vice President David L. Cohen on Monday asking the company to avoid any such agreements to create “fast lanes” on the company’s network, a practice known as paid prioritization. Read More »

President Barack Obama will meet with Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen and other top U.S. financial regulators at the White House Monday to discuss the economy and ongoing efforts to implement postcrisis financial-sector rules. Read More »

A different kind of non-neutral Internet is emerging on wireless networks as mobile companies offer low-cost plans that only give users access to certain popular apps like Facebook. Could such plans someday find their way to wired networks, and if so, how would they fit into the FCC’s view of an “open Internet?” Read More »

The White House has made a concerted push in recent weeks to highlight the strengthening economy, and that continued Monday as the Obama administration argued that tougher financial-sector rules were making the country safer.

Add the nation’s top telecom regulator to the growing list of people taking issue with the name of the Washington football team.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheelertold Broadcasting & Cable that he finds the Washington Redskins’ name “offensive and derogatory” and doesn’t use it personally. The team has been the target of a growing public backlash against the use of Native Americans and other ethnic minorities as mascots and logos. Read More »

If a ditch fills with rainwater – and nobody’s around to see it – can it still be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency?

That’s a question at the heart of a skirmish between EPA and House Republicans as the agency seeks to define which streams, wetlands, ditches, ponds and other water bodies fall under its jurisdiction. Once classified as a “water of the U.S.,” the water body comes under EPA control and is subject to permits and restrictions under the Clean Water Act. Landowners, including farmers and ranchers, fear they’ll be unable to conduct routine activities on their properties without first obtaining potentially costly permits. Read More »

Washington is searching Google to fill its top technology jobs. The White House hired Megan Smith, a Google executive with years of Silicon Valley experience, to be the next U.S. CTO. Alexander Macgillivray, who spent years as counsel for Twitter and Google, will serve as a deputy CTO. Read More »

About Washington Wire

Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.